Unreliable Ministry Figures a Smokescreen

“Figures showing a reduction
in Community Law clients are just plain wrong and are being
used as a smokescreen at a time when decisions are being
made on Community Law’s future funding”, says Liz
Tennet, CEO of Community Law Centres o Aotearoa (CLCA), the
national body representing 24 Community Law Centres around
New Zealand.

Statistics released by the Ministry of
Justice show a decline of 37,356 in client numbers from June
2009 to June 2012.

“The figures are absolute
rubbish”, says Ms Tennet. “At a time of economic
recession, the number of clients being assisted by the 24
Community Law Centres has actually gone up”.

“What the
Ministry figures don’t count are a significant numbers of
clients given assistance over the phone, and the half
million hits per year from New Zealanders seeking
information off the Community Law website, http://www.communitylaw.org.nz/

“But what is most disturbing is the unreliability of
the Ministry’s own database and the Ministry–directed
changes over the last four years to the way Community Law
Centres must record their statistics. In 2009 the figures
included website hits, in 2012 they do not. In 2009 the
figures included pamphlet and leaflet distribution at expos
and shows, in 2012 they do not.

“The Ministry’s
database is a dog. It is now over 7 years old, it has been
very difficult to amend entry errors, it has created
inaccuracies and it has caused immense frustration to the
sector. The Ministry has spent hundreds of thousands of
dollars upgrading the database, but it is no longer fit for
purpose.

“One of New Zealand’s 24 Community Law
Centres, Community Law Wellington and Hutt Valley, submitted
to MoJ its final Quarterly Reports each year showing the
following number of clients assisted:-

“The
Ministry itself has acknowledged the unreliability of its
database and has agreed there needs to be introduced a new
client management system for Community Law. This has been
agreed by a joint Ministry/Community Law Working
Party.

“Community Law has had no funding increase over
the last four years and through efficiency gains has
decreased its average cost of service delivery from $95.36
per hour in 2008/09 to $70.41 per hour in 2011/12. This has
been delivered as a result of a substantial increase in the
number of service delivery hours.

“Community Law also
delivers huge value. 1200 volunteer lawyers massively expand
Community Law’s footprint and provide additional value of
$3.8m per year. Community Law Casework alone is valued at
$36.23m per year and Community Law’s early intervention
service has been estimated to save at least $7.3m per year
of taxpayer court costs from just a 1% reduction in the use
of courts.

“The Ministry of Justice is demonstrating
itself as another Government Agency with deficient data
collection”, says Ms
Tennet.

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